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Michelle Ouellet (guest)
Government Contractor , VA:

I trust that Paulson and Bernanke have the county's best interest at heart.

I don't know much about economics but I can clearly understand how this junk is clogging up the books and values of every major credit player in the country. I am happy the FBI is looking into fraud. People will go to jail or end up like the Enron fellow... However, I am saddened that Congress might dilly dally more and that results in every American being hurt by reduced pensions and savings. If Congress takes as long to decide this as they did the housing bill(which has helped thousands of people stay in their homes) I am sure that President of Iran is correct. America's time has come ...... Get off their butts and do their job!

Brian Flores (guest)
IT Consultant , DC:

I felt like I needed to correct some of the misinformation being propagated by Prof. Calabresi.

It seems as if the public has both a lack in confidence in the president's abilities as a leader and a lack of trust in what the president says. Through this it seems that some people are holding the presidential under harsher scrutiny than before, simply because they want to know if they can maybe, just maybe trust the next administration. By the way, I think that Steve Calabresi had the quote of the day--simply for its absurdity: "The day will come, and not before long, when Americans will wish that George Bush was still president." I laughed out loud when I read that.

Nall Gearheard (guest)
Managing Partner: Media , GA:

The question is "Do we trust Henry Paulson?" Leave Bush and company out of this - that is a political question, and now is not the time for politics.

It is clear there is a serious economic crisis and time is of the essence. I don't think we act rashly, however, it appears the process is being hijacked by politicians playing games and attempting to add earmarks in the form of a "stimulus package" onto the bill. That is the cause of this mess - partisanship. If the Congress had acted in 2005, instead of tabling the reforms for partisan politics, we might have averted this crisis, or at least lessened the effects. Now, we may unable to avert disaster. I have lost confidence in Congress more than the administration. I believe the attempt to impeach Clinton sent the Democrats on a rampage, and they haven't returned to reality. They two parties have to stop fighting and start sharing power so they can govern effectively. Neither can do it alone, they have to act in unison. The time for fighting and distrust is over; it is time to act as one, roll up our shirt sleeves and attack the task together. Enough. We, the public, have had enough. It is to the point that many among us are beginning to wish for the abolition of the two party system. We are now at a stage in our history where information distribution is so prevalent, the party system may be obsolete. If they don't act in our interests, the time will come when the people will leave the parties. And rightly so. They no longer serve their constituents, but themselves. They must change, or they threaten the future of this country.

Sujata Ramnarayan (guest)
Assistant Professor , CA:

It is not a question of trust. It is a question of whether this is the right thing to do?

Are you telling me that the administration is willing to use $700 billion of taxpayer money to save a mismanaged private institution with no clear idea as to whether there is any payback? The administration does not have $65 billion for universal healthcare but is willing to use $700 billion of taxpayer money to bail out one of many other failed private companies - Bears and Stearns, Fannie and Freddie, now is AIG, GM is already lining up...where does this stop? What is the worse thing that could happen ? Paulson has been wrong several times now. We are already in recession!

richard powers (guest)
construction manager , NY:

The way that the administration has presented the case for this bailout is eerily reminscent of the way they rolled out the case for the iraq war. their senior experts, all highly respected and admired, present a dire case of national emergency that must be taken on immediately giving the adminstration unlimited powers with no congressional oversight. congress must stand up now and say no to this unprecedented power grab of executive privelege. it is curious to me that this bailout package became an immediate crisis that had to be addressed immediately when goldman sachs, which paulson use to be the chairman of, became immediately threatened by the crisis. the administration has no credibility on this issue.

Karl Haraldsson (guest)
Student of Political Science, The University of Chicago , IL:

I am not quite sure of the extent to which Americans' distrust of the administration has complicated the situation on the ballot.

It seems as if the public has both a lack in confidence in the president's abilities as a leader and a lack of trust in what the president says. Through this it seems that some people are holding the presidential under harsher scrutiny than before, simply because they want to know if they can maybe, just maybe trust the next administration. By the way, I think that Steve Calabresi had the quote of the day--simply for its absurdity: "The day will come, and not before long, when Americans will wish that George Bush was still president." I laughed out loud when I read that.

Mark Sullivan (guest)
Writer , RI:

At long last, the administration has ventured a bridge too far--and just in the nick of time. The blood curdles at what might have happened if they were able to bull their way through an Category 5 economic crisis.

ROBERT LEWIS (guest)
CEO , TX:

Seems a bid disengenuous to ask only "do you trust the administration" when there should also be a question alongside that asks "do you trust the Congress?"

Many of the Congress have been in place much much longer than the current administration and staff. We are where we are due to gross failure on the part of the US Governement.....bureaucrats, military, Congress, POTUS, and staff. So address the issue head on. Who is working for the country, and not merely for their own personal interests, the interests of special fund raising and contributory groups, the individual states' demands, and their political party affiliates. No one?

ROBERT LEWIS (guest)
CEO , TX:

Seems a bid disengenuous to ask only "do you trust the administration" when there should also be a question alongside that asks "do you trust the Congress?"

Many of the Congress have been in place much much longer than the current administration and staff. We are where we are due to gross failure on the part of the US Governement.....bureaucrats, military, Congress, POTUS, and staff. So address the issue head on. Who is working for the country, and not merely for their own personal interests, the interests of special fund raising and contributory groups, the individual states' demands, and their political party affiliates. No one?

William Marshall (guest)
Self employed , NY:

I wouldn't trust this administration to handle anything, let alone $700 Billion to be spent by them on Wall Street fat cat losers.

Meinda Sisson (guest)
U.S. Navy , CA:

Do I trust the Bush Administration? Let's see...

Patriot Act, Authority to use Force, no WMD's, no body armor, no armor for Humvees, Abu Ghraib, KBR & Halliburton, Black Water, slave labor used to build our embassy in Iraq, Guantanamo Bay and holding a child soldier against the Geneva Convention, what Geneva Convention?, torture and our use of it, rendition, Walter Reed, propaganda masked as news reports (illegal), spying on US citizens including every phone call and email written and blanket warrants abused by the FBI, the use of fear to get votes, rigging the justice system, fraudulent appointments during Congressional recess, suppressing scientific findings at the EPA and the CDC, VP is not in the Executive or the Senate, ignoring subpoena's, Katrina and FEMA and Homeland Security, an effort as we speak to deny women medical care based on the religious beliefs of medical staff.... I can't possibly remember it all. There's too much. No one could convince me to trust this Administration one iota, not now, not then, not ever.

chris crews (guest)
Media Activist and Researcher , NY:

I think public distrust is a major factor right now, and for good reason.

The financial leadership emanating from Washington is appalling, and has been for some time. Simply looking at the National Debt makes it clear that another $700 billion of money, with absolutely no strings or oversight attached, is the last thing that this country needs right now. The public knows this, and is saying this, although it's not entirely evident from listening to people in Washington that they are getting the message. But it also raises a deeper question, namely why should the public bail out private sector companies for mistakes that they themselves knowingly made? It's a hard pill to be told that since private institutions took public money/assets and essentially blew them all in a high-risk game of financial roulette that now we need to turn around and pay off that tab too! It makes absolutely no sense, except that these institutions have become so embedded in the domestic and global economy that they can leverage this type of scam without everyone crying foul. But it's not entirely clear that the public, or even Washington, will swallow the Treasury pill right now, so we'll have to wait and see what happens next.

David Biespiel (guest)
Author and Editor , OR:

This administration...and any administration. The Bush administration hasn't shown much care or inclination to work transparently--with Iraq as a prime example.

It prefers a corner office mentality--the secrets kept secret. I'm confident we'll be learning all sorts of unsavory things about this administration...for decades, given how secretive it's been. Plus, the follow-up to Katrina has left citizens doubtful that the administration is competent enough or diligent enough to succeed. But: The point here, though, is accountability. Congress must insist on oversight. We're going to put all our trust in Secretary Paulson? The man could get hit by a bus tomorrow--god forbid. But if we're going to restructure--or, correct--the relationship between government & the investment sector, if we're going to begin to swing the pendulum away from thirty years of de-regulation toward something more moderate in terms of regulation--at least--then Congress should insist on long-term mechanisms of oversight & a process of systemic standardization to monitor banking practices for years to come. And citizens must insist that the government govern.

Stephen Lahanas (guest)
Systems Engineer / Architect , OH:

I don't believe any of us should abdicate our responsibilities in this matter by bestowing blind trust or faith in the administration, either political party or either presidential candidate.

This is simply too important an issue for individual Americans not to get involved with on a personal level. With a Trillion or more of our tax dollars on the line in this one decision and a total debt of over $11 Trillion looming it is time to start asking ourselves whether the nation can remain solvent. If Washington is not prepared to resolve this crisis with reasonable, detailed, well-thought out plans then we must voice our concerns. For us this is a long-term multi-generational problem now, we cannot let any public servants decide this issue based upon political expediency or shortsighted pressures from special interests who stand to gain from our misfortune. I do not believe that the majority of Americans realize yet how serious this situation is and how long its impact might be felt if the wrong decisions are made in a hurry.

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